smaller apartment.”
“Mom, I’m fine. I don’t need to move.” She liked the open floor plan of her apartment and had no desire to confine herself to a more cramped space. In fact, since Kendall had taken her workout equipment from the third bedroom, she had begun to think about fixing it up as a guest room so the futon in the office could stop doing double duty.
“You could get a little place on your sister’s side of town. I’m sure she would like to see you more often.”
“We see each other plenty. Besides, she’s never home either.” As a regional sales manager, her sister traveled at least two weeks out of every month. Her husband spent nearly as much time on the road, but, if fifteen years of marriage was any indication, it worked for them.
“Are you dating again, yet?”
“No.”
“I heard Mr. Rubio’s daughter is single again. Would you like me to get her number?”
Melanie smiled. Her mother had adjusted well to her coming out while in her twenties. She’d simply made the transition from trying to find her a nice young man to a young woman. She had earned a reprieve during her years with Kendall but apparently now was once again fair game. Mr. Rubio from down the hall was the only other resident in her mother’s building who admitted to having a gay child.
“What? She’s running the family dry-cleaning business. You could do worse.”
“I’m sure she’s lovely. Although Mr. Rubio is in his eighties, so unless he had her late in life, she’s probably in her sixties.”
“I hear about women having sugar daddies. Can’t it be the same for gay women?”
“I don’t want to be the kept woman of a dry cleaner, Mom.” Melanie struggled to keep the laughter out of her voice.
“Now you’re making fun of me.” Her mom’s smile suggested that she’d been teasing.
“I’m not. Let’s just put the dry cleaner on the back burner for now. If I change my mind about her, I’ll let you know. I’m really not thinking about dating right now.” She steered her truck into the parking lot of the restaurant and chose a spot near the door.
“It’s natural for you to miss Kendall. But working all the time isn’t good for you.”
“I know,” she replied automatically, and when her mother’s expression changed to disbelief, she went on. “I did miss Kendall a lot, at first. I still do, often. But she’s not what’s stopped me from dating. I haven’t been alone in a long time. Now that I am, I don’t feel an overwhelming urge to throw myself into a new dynamic with another person.” Searching for the right words, she turned in her seat and met her mother’s eyes. “I can hardly remember the last time I made a decision without thinking about how it impacted someone else. I want to do that now. I want to do things that make me happy, perhaps selfishly, but I think it’s my right.”
“What if Miss Wonderful comes along while you’re figuring yourself out?”
She sighed. “If I promise that, if someone comes along that I can’t live without, I will give her a chance, can we stop talking about this and go inside and eat? I’m starving.”
“I suppose that’s the best I’m going to get out of you, so, okay.”
She smiled, knowing that they hadn’t truly dropped the subject. But as they walked inside, her mother began talking about her upcoming bus trip to the Mississippi casinos. Maybe Melanie would give her a twenty and ask her to play the slots for her.
Chapter Nine
“Jarvis, Fisher, you’re on enforcement tonight,” Sergeant Stahlman said. “Get with the motors supervisor and see where they want to concentrate.”
Kendall managed to keep her groan inside. Some officers jockeyed for the special assignment, welcoming the chance to escape answering calls and dealing with the public. But she didn’t like the constant traffic stops and writing tickets for moving violations. She didn’t mind working with the motorcycle officers; they were a cool bunch of guys.
“Mom, I’m fine. I don’t need to move.” She liked the open floor plan of her apartment and had no desire to confine herself to a more cramped space. In fact, since Kendall had taken her workout equipment from the third bedroom, she had begun to think about fixing it up as a guest room so the futon in the office could stop doing double duty.
“You could get a little place on your sister’s side of town. I’m sure she would like to see you more often.”
“We see each other plenty. Besides, she’s never home either.” As a regional sales manager, her sister traveled at least two weeks out of every month. Her husband spent nearly as much time on the road, but, if fifteen years of marriage was any indication, it worked for them.
“Are you dating again, yet?”
“No.”
“I heard Mr. Rubio’s daughter is single again. Would you like me to get her number?”
Melanie smiled. Her mother had adjusted well to her coming out while in her twenties. She’d simply made the transition from trying to find her a nice young man to a young woman. She had earned a reprieve during her years with Kendall but apparently now was once again fair game. Mr. Rubio from down the hall was the only other resident in her mother’s building who admitted to having a gay child.
“What? She’s running the family dry-cleaning business. You could do worse.”
“I’m sure she’s lovely. Although Mr. Rubio is in his eighties, so unless he had her late in life, she’s probably in her sixties.”
“I hear about women having sugar daddies. Can’t it be the same for gay women?”
“I don’t want to be the kept woman of a dry cleaner, Mom.” Melanie struggled to keep the laughter out of her voice.
“Now you’re making fun of me.” Her mom’s smile suggested that she’d been teasing.
“I’m not. Let’s just put the dry cleaner on the back burner for now. If I change my mind about her, I’ll let you know. I’m really not thinking about dating right now.” She steered her truck into the parking lot of the restaurant and chose a spot near the door.
“It’s natural for you to miss Kendall. But working all the time isn’t good for you.”
“I know,” she replied automatically, and when her mother’s expression changed to disbelief, she went on. “I did miss Kendall a lot, at first. I still do, often. But she’s not what’s stopped me from dating. I haven’t been alone in a long time. Now that I am, I don’t feel an overwhelming urge to throw myself into a new dynamic with another person.” Searching for the right words, she turned in her seat and met her mother’s eyes. “I can hardly remember the last time I made a decision without thinking about how it impacted someone else. I want to do that now. I want to do things that make me happy, perhaps selfishly, but I think it’s my right.”
“What if Miss Wonderful comes along while you’re figuring yourself out?”
She sighed. “If I promise that, if someone comes along that I can’t live without, I will give her a chance, can we stop talking about this and go inside and eat? I’m starving.”
“I suppose that’s the best I’m going to get out of you, so, okay.”
She smiled, knowing that they hadn’t truly dropped the subject. But as they walked inside, her mother began talking about her upcoming bus trip to the Mississippi casinos. Maybe Melanie would give her a twenty and ask her to play the slots for her.
Chapter Nine
“Jarvis, Fisher, you’re on enforcement tonight,” Sergeant Stahlman said. “Get with the motors supervisor and see where they want to concentrate.”
Kendall managed to keep her groan inside. Some officers jockeyed for the special assignment, welcoming the chance to escape answering calls and dealing with the public. But she didn’t like the constant traffic stops and writing tickets for moving violations. She didn’t mind working with the motorcycle officers; they were a cool bunch of guys.
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